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Sisun Song

Doll Doll Mari

Plaster baby dolls molded from old bisque dolls have been both the subject and material for my artwork for a long time. I have used them as a representation of myself. With the experimentation of various mediums such as video, installation, painting and drawing I have tried to look into myself through the eyes of the dolls. I find myself constantly curious and interested about the immaturity in me, which gives me a strong motivation to make the work. Also using the connection with other materials and space and people, I try to express a cynicism and satire between individuals and systems of society.

The recent serial works titled Doll Doll Mari, which means rolling up in Korean, are composed of different body parts of plaster dolls tightly wrapped up with toilet papers. The fragile materials become hardened and get stronger as I keep rolling up tightly. The constant repetitive act of unrolling and rolling up toilet papers shapes the dolls which may appear to be happy or drowning in the pool of unusual forms of fragile paper layers. Either concave or convex and sometimes wave shaped layers of the toilet papers were intentionally made. These forms of layers are one of the main elements that make the objects look like they were never related to the familiar consumer product. This time-consuming and labor-intensive process of the work creates naive images reminiscent of childhood memories and at the same time weirdly mass-produced Zen-like meditative patterns.

Many times, as the work progressed I became aware that these strongly tied up dolls are a reflection of my mentally restrained situation. I constantly want to be embraced and protected warmly by someone I’m close with. However, the safe protecting shelter can become a prison in another way.

Sisun Song
sisuny@hotmail.com
www.sisunsong.com

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